Workplace activity evaluator

ABSTRACT

An activity evaluator includes an evaluation module configured to collect human activity data from at least two sensors, which may include a sensor on equipment, a location sensor, an RFID sensor, a physiological sensor, a weight sensor, a chemical sensor, a heat sensor, a pressure sensor and a camera, and analyze the collected data to determine an activity evaluation indicative of an activity safety level. A communications module is configured to communicate at least one of the activity evaluation and the collective activity level-related data to a distinct computer system. The activity evaluation may be employed in providing feedback to an individual.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/860,296 filed Sep. 21, 2015, which is in turn a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/708,423, filed Dec. 7, 2012, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,141,994, which is in turn a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/793,350, filed Jun. 3, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.8,358,214, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/362,737, filed Jan. 30, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No.8,149,126, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/024,676, filed Feb.1, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/899,076, filed Feb. 2, 2007, the entire contents of all of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many insurance companies are considering offering, or do offer,discounts or variable pricing for automobile insurance based on datacollected from vehicle telematics. Safety in the workplace includesperils beyond driving, including environmental conditions, physicalstress and strain and dangerous equipment. Sensors on the marketplaceand in development can identify dangerous scenarios, includingenvironmental conditions, worker behaviors, use or lack of use of propersafety equipment, and interactions with dangerous machines, substancesor areas.

Workers' compensation insurance provides compensation for workers thatare injured on the job. This compensation may include medical expenses,death benefits and payments in lieu of lost wages. Workers' compensationinsurance is state-mandated for most employees and is generally providedby private insurance companies, though some states operate a state fund.

Rates for workers' compensation insurance are set by state and are basedon industry and job classification. Workers' compensation rating startswith a base rate, derived for each of some 600 classifications. Thisbase rate is not modified for the smallest businesses, but for others,it is. These modifications include a mandatory application of anexperience rating credit or debit, depending on a business's claimshistory compared to the average in that business class. Also,discretionary pricing modifications can be applied by the carrierdepending on its underwriting evaluation of the account. Many largeaccounts share in the funding of their claims via large deductibles,policyholder dividends and retrospectively rated programs. These kindsof programs are generally referred to as “risk share” plans. For thosebusinesses that are subject to experience rating or a “risk share” plan,their net cost of workers' compensation insurance is decreased to theextent they can either prevent, or mitigate the value of, claims.

Most insurance carriers that sell workers' compensation insuranceprovide professional services that help businesses prevent or mitigatethe values of claims, primarily by reviewing the business's exposuresand current controls, and by assessing the causes of prior claims andsubsequently recommending and implementing solutions. Again, to theextent that these solutions reduce the number and dollar amount ofclaims, overall, the premium paid by the business will also be reduced.Loss control services are generally available to all businesses, but aremost cost-effective for larger businesses.

Typically, loss control services are part of the basic product sold byan insurance carrier. However, loss control services may be made moreeffective and efficient by appropriately utilizing technology. Inparticular, sensor technologies that allow insured businesses to quicklyidentify unsafe situations, thereby providing the businesses withopportunity to correct them, and technologies that give insurancecarriers automatic feedback and information on the safety performance oftheir policyholders, may beneficially contribute to a streamlinedworkers' compensation insurance evaluation system and advantageouslydecrease the risk of accidents in the workplace. In addition tostreamlining workers' compensation insurance evaluation systems, sensortechnologies may assist in improving risk evaluation and loss controlfor other types of insurance, such as group, short or long-termdisability insurance, professional or general liability insurance,and/or medical malpractice insurance. These sensor technologies may alsobe used to monitor and facilitate other aspects of insured entities,such as general employee health, post-injury return-to-work programs forinjured employees, the activity levels of patients in a healthcarefacility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in one aspect the invention relates to an activityevaluation system for use in managing an insurance-related process. Thesystem comprises at least one sensor, an activity evaluation module, anoutput device, and a communications module. The sensor(s) are configuredto monitor the activity level of an individual associated with aninsured entity. The activity evaluation module is configured to collectdata from the sensor(s), analyze the data to determine an activityevaluation indicative of the activity level of the individual, andoutput the activity evaluation. The output device is configured toprovide feedback to the individual based at least in part on theactivity evaluation. The communications module is configured tocommunicate the collected data and/or the activity evaluation to aserver operated by an insurance company insuring the entity.

In some embodiments, the system includes a business logic processorconfigured to adjust an insurance-related parameter associated with theentity based on the collected data and/or the activity evaluation. Theinsurance-related parameter may include a term of an insurance policy,and the term may include a premium, a deductible, a limit, servicesassociated with the insurance policy, costs of the services, rating planparameters, and/or dividend plan parameters. Optionally, the businesslogic processor is configured to adjust a renewal decision of aninsurance policy covering the insured entity based on the collected dataand/or the activity evaluation.

In certain embodiments, the sensor(s) are worn by the individual, and isconfigured to provide a notification if the sensor(s) are removed fromthe individual. The output device may provide real-time feedback,including visual, audio, and/or tactile stimulus, to the individualand/or the insured entity. In some embodiments, the individual is anemployee of the insured entity, the sensor(s) are worn by the employee,and the activity evaluation data is partially representative of thephysical activity of the employee. In some embodiments, the individualis an elderly person wearing the sensor(s), and the activity evaluationdata is partially representative of the physical activity of the elderlyperson.

In another aspect, the invention relates to an activity evaluationsystem for use in managing an insurance-related process. The systemincludes a server and a business logic processor. The server isconfigured to receive activity evaluation data derived at least in partfrom sensor(s) monitoring the activity of an individual associated withan insured entity. The business logic processor is configured to adjustan insurance-related parameter associated with the insured entity basedat least in part on an analysis of the received data by an activityevaluation module.

In some embodiments, the analysis of the received data includescalculating a correlation between the data and an insurance risk. Incertain embodiments, adjusting an insurance-related parameter includesadjusting a premium, a deductible, a limit, services associated with aninsurance policy, costs of the services, rating plan parameters, and/ordividend plan parameters. Optionally, adjusting an insurance-relatedparameter includes adjusting a renewal decision of an insurance policycovering the insured entity.

In certain embodiments, the individual is an employee of the insuredentity, wears the sensor(s), and the activity evaluation data ispartially representative of the physical activity of the employee. Insome embodiments, the individual is an elderly person wearing thesensor(s), and the activity evaluation data is partially representativeof the physical activity of the elderly person.

In other aspects, the invention relates to methods for using andimplementing the system described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system suitable for monitoring,evaluating, and providing feedback on employee workplace safety,according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer network system that may be usedin an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a first employee safety evaluationsystem, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a second employee safety evaluationsystem, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a patient monitoring and evaluationsystem, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 6A-D depict various views of a wearable sensor, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for evaluating employee workplacesafety, according to an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a process for providing recommendationsand/or insurance adjustments based on collected sensor data, accordingto an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the terms of an insurance policy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To provide an overall understanding of the invention, certainillustrative embodiments will now be described. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the methodsdescribed herein may be adapted and modified as is appropriate for theapplication being addressed and that the systems and methods describedherein may be employed in other suitable applications, and that suchother additions and modifications will not depart from the scope hereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 for monitoring,evaluating, and providing feedback on employee workplace safety at aninsured entity. In FIG. 1, insurance company 120 provides customer 101with insurance coverage. The type of insurance provided by insurancecompany 120 may be any type of insurance, such as group, short orlong-term disability insurance, professional or general liabilityinsurance, medical malpractice insurance, and/or workers' compensationinsurance. Customer 101 employs one or more employees 111. Employees 111work at a workplace environment 109 that is affiliated with customer101. Workplace environment 109 may include one or more facilitieslocated together or separately from each other. Workplace environment109 may not be at a fixed location, such as when customer 101 is acontractor who travels to various locations for work. Insurance company120 can simultaneously provide services to multiple customers, althoughonly one customer 101 is shown in FIG. 1 for clarity.

While on the job, employees 111 may have accidents or develop chronicailments as a result of handling various types of hazardous machinery113, equipment 115, and objects 125. A hazardous object 125 may be, forexample, a heavy box of merchandise that employees 111 must lift.Hazardous object 125 can also be inherently dangerous, such as aradioactive or chemically toxic object. A few examples of hazardousmachinery 113 and equipment 115 include cutting tools, electricaldevices, and construction equipment. In addition, workplace environment109 can be detrimental to the safety of employees 111 if it is prone tofires, breakdowns in proper ventilation, and other lapses in hazardcontainment.

To monitor the safety of employees 111 as they interact with theworkplace, sensors 123 are established in various manners at workplace109. Sensors 123 can be worn or carried around by employees 111, locatedon machinery 113, equipment 115, objects 125, and distributed aroundworkplace environment 109. Sensors 123 are configured to take a varietyof measurements. For example, motion detectors worn by employees 111measure body motion as employees 111 move around and carry out varioustasks at work. Multiple motion sensors may be worn on different bodyparts to obtain detailed body movement information. Motion sensors suchas accelerometers and/or gyroscopes may monitor speed, acceleration,position, rotation, and other characteristics of body and appendagemotion. There are sensors available for determining the body posture ofemployees 111, particularly while lifting heavy objects. Chronic andacute back injuries are often the result of lifting objects using animproper lifting behavior, and can lead to high valued workers'compensation claims. Pressure sensors embedded in the footwear ofemployees 111 or located on the floor of workplace 109 also provideinformation on the ergonomics of employees 111, such the weight andweight distribution over different parts of the body. Many other typesof wearable sensors used to gain information about the work habits ofemployees 111 can be integrated into safety evaluation system 100, suchas chemical sensor and location sensors such as GPS transceivers,assisted GPS sensors and/or magnetometers.

In some embodiments, sensors 123 are used to monitor the movement oractivity levels of employees 111 who may not generally work with heavyequipment or machinery. For example, sensors 123 may be used to monitorthe movements and/or activity levels of employees 111 such as officeworkers engaged in desk and/or computer work. These employees may tendto be more sedentary than employees that work with other equipment,machinery, or materials. It has been suggested that daily activity ofworkers may be directly related to their overall health and wellness.Monitoring the activity levels of workers, especially sedentary workers,provides additional information relevant to evaluating the overall riskof an insurance account to calculate insurance premiums and potentialdiscounts. Sensors that can be used to monitor employee activity levelsinclude physiological sensors such as heart rate sensors, blood pressuresensors, pedometers, or other sensors for sensing physiological signals.

In certain embodiments, the activity levels and/or lifting behavior ofinjured employees are monitored with sensors 123. Workers in manualmaterial handling jobs who become injured may have limited capabilitiesduring their recovery, at which time they may be able to return to work,but not at full capacity. Sensors 123, which may be worn by an injuredemployee, may be used by occupational health case workers to monitor theactivity level of the injured employee during their recovery in order tofacilitate the speed of recovery.

In addition to being worn or carried around by employees 111, sensors123 are also be fixed on machinery 113, equipment 115, and objects 125.These sensors can also be motion, weight, heat, and pressure sensors,like the wearable sensors discussed above. For example, weight/forcesensors may be used to measure the weights of objects 125. Heat sensorsprovide information on the functionality of machinery 113 and equipment115. Overheating or malfunctioning equipment/machinery constitute aworkplace hazard for employees 111. RFID transponders placed onmachinery 113, equipment 115, and objects 125 are used to identify themachinery/equipment/object, or if paired with RFID transponders carriedby employees 111, are used to determine the relative location ofemployees 111 with respect to various pieces of machinery 113, equipment115, or objects 125.

Sensors 123 that are distributed at fixed locations around workplace 109include heat sensors that monitor the temperature of the workplace.Digital cameras and camcorders can be mounted around workplace 109 tomonitor and analyze employee actions, including lifting behavior whenlifting heavy objects. The above described sensors and their purposesare discussed in more detail below in connection with the systemsdepicted in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Sensors 123 can be configured to transmit data continuously throughoutthe day, at or during specified periods of time, or in response to thedetection of a particular event. Data from sensors 123 are collected andstored on local computer 133. Local computer 133 is a computer, a memorydevice, or a network of such devices that is capable of collecting,storing, and processing sensor data. Local computer 133 may be a mobiledevice, such as a smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop,or micro PC. Alternatively, local computing device 133 may be anembedded computing platform built into sensors 123. Sensors 123communicate with local computer 133 via communication system 106.Communications system 106 can be wired or wireless, and can utilize anyappropriate protocol, such as BLUETOOTH®, WiFi, ZigBee, or ANT. Theinternal communication network 106 between sensors 123 and localcomputer 133 is part of a larger communications network 127 that allowscommunication of information between customer 101, insurance company120, and third party provider 107, whose functions are described furtherbelow. The devices connected to communication network 127, and theinternal networks contained within, may employ data encryption andsecurity software so that sensitive information, such as the medicalhistories of employees 111, are protected.

In addition to the data obtained from sensors 123, static data regardingemployees 111, such as the age, height, level of physical fitness ofeach person, and data regarding industry safety standards is stored atan internal database 129 at customer 101. Data in internal database 129supplements sensor data and is transmitted along with sensor data toinsurance company 120 for processing. Internal database 129 may notnecessarily be located at customer 101. It can be located or maintainedat a remote location, but accessible by customer 101 and/or insurancecompany 120.

Safety data obtained from sensors 123 and database 129 is transmittedvia communications network 127 to insurance company 120 for evaluation.In one implementation, the data is transmitted in raw form directly fromthe sensors. In another implementation, the data is first processed bylocal computer 133 and then transmitted to insurance company 120 insynthesized form. The transmitted data may also pass through a thirdparty provider 107. In one scenario, third party provider 107 is anoutside expert hired by customer 101 or insurance company 120 to performthe analysis and evaluation of the sensor data. In another scenario,insurance company 120 purchases or obtains in another manner data fromthird party provider 107 instead of interacting directly with customer101. Like local database 129, third party provider 107 can also be asource of information on industry safety standards, for example fromNIOSH and OSHA.

Insurance company 120 has a computer system 119 that includesapplication servers 102, load balancing proxy servers 103, data storageunit 104, business logic computer 122, and user interface module 105 toperform risk evaluation and underwriting based on the collected employeesafety data. Employees of the insurance company 120 and other authorizedpersonnel use user interface module 105 to access the insurance companycomputer system. User interface module 105 may be any type of computingdevice that is configured to communicate with other computer systems.User interface module 105 may be connected directly to applicationserver 102, or may access an application server 102 via the loadbalancing proxy servers 103. User interface module 105 may connect toload balancing proxy servers 103 via a local area network, a privatedata link, or via the internet. Although depicted as being part ofinsurance company 120 in FIG. 1, user interface module 105 may belocated remotely, such as onsite at an insured facility. The businesslogic computer 122 is connected to the data storage unit 104 andapplication servers 102 over a local area network 121, which may be partof communication system 127. In addition, other network infrastructure,including, for example a firewall, backup servers, and back up datastores, may also be included in the system 119, without departing fromthe scope of the invention. Communications over the local area network121 and/or over the Internet, in one implementation, are encrypted. Inaddition, such communications, whether encrypted or not, may also bedigitally signed for authenticating the source of the communications.The computer system 119 may also include a certificate authority toauthenticate one or more of the communications using public keyinfrastructure.

Based on employee safety data collected from the various sourcesdescribed above, a safety evaluation module analyzes and evaluatesemployee safety of customer 101. As used herein, a “module” is aprocessor or portion of a processor configured to perform one or morefunctions. In some embodiments, the module includes hardware andsoftware executing on the hardware for performing particular functions.Optionally, the module includes hardware specifically designed toperform particular functions, or includes hardware and firmwarespecifically configured to perform particular functions. In someembodiments, a module includes executable code that, for instance,comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructionswhich may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, orfunction. Nevertheless, the executables in a module need not bephysically located together, but may comprise disparate instructionsstored in different locations which, when joined logically together,comprise the software portion of the module and achieve, along withhardware, the stated purpose for the module.

Indeed, a module of executable code could include a single instruction,or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork. In addition, entire modules, or portions thereof, may also beimplemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmablegate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or thelike or as hardwired integrated circuits.

In one implementation, the safety evaluation module is implemented inbusiness logic computer 122. In other implementations, the safetyevaluation module is implemented in application servers 102, on localcomputer 133, or is distributed across multiple elements of system 119.After the safety evaluation module evaluates the safety condition ofcustomer 101, it sends feedback back to customer 101 via communicationsnetwork 127 that is directed towards improving employee workplacesafety. Feedback is provided to employees 111 through a visual, audio,or tactile stimulus, which is represented by flashing lights 130 inFIG. 1. Flashing lights 130 may, for example, flash when an employee 111enters into a hazardous area or adopts an unsafe posture when liftingheavy object 125. Other types of feedback mechanisms include a vibratingdevice worn by employee 111 or an audio buzzer. Feedback may also begiven to a manager, and then relayed to employee 111 in an indirectmanner, such as in a verbal conversation between the manager andemployee 111.

A business logic module, implemented preferably in business logiccomputer 122, is used to underwrite or alter workers' compensationinsurance pricing for customer 101 based on the received data. Thebusiness logic module may use predictive models, such as neuralnetworks, Bayesian networks, and support vector machines, in performingthe underwriting and premium adjustment. In one embodiment, the premiumof the insurance policy is decreased if customer 101 employees exhibitsafe practices. Conversely, insurance premiums are increased in responseto unsafe employee performance. Instead of altering premium rates, otherterms of the insurance policy can be altered, such as the policydeductible.

In another scenario, insurance company 120 awards customer 101 withpremium discounts, or other advantageous rewards, simply for institutinga safety evaluation and feedback system. In this scenario, insurancecompany 120 does not receive actual safety data from customer 101.Insurance company 120 may award different discounts depending onpolicies instituted by customer 101 based on the output of the safetyevaluation and feedback system. For example, insurance company 120 mayaward a discount if customer 101 has a safety policy of giving salarybonuses to employees 111 with good safety records. Insurance company 120may also award a discount if customer 101 has a reward policy thatpromotes active participation of employees 111 in the safety evaluationsystem. These scenarios are described in more detail further below inconnection with FIGS. 3 and 4.

Business logic computer 122 may be implemented based on the computernetwork system architecture shown in FIG. 2. Business logic computer 122may have data storage capabilities of its own, or may access externaldata storage unit 104 for such purposes. In one implementation, datastorage unit 104 is a data warehouse utilized by the insurance company120. The data warehouse is the main electronic depository of theinsurance company's current and historical data. The data warehouseincludes one or more interrelated databases that store informationrelevant to insurance data analysis. The interrelated databases storeboth structured and unstructured data. In one implementation, one ormore of the interrelated databases store electronic copies of insuranceforms, either in an image format or a text-searchable format keyed to acustomer or claim. Other databases in the interrelated databases storedata, for example, in a relational database, in various data fieldskeyed to various identifiers, such as, without limitation, customer,data source, geography, or business identifier (such as StandardIndustry Classification Code). The information stored in the datawarehouse 104 is obtained through communications with customers, agents,vendors, sensors, and third party data providers and investigators. Inparticular, the data warehouse is configured to store data aboutcustomer employee safety, as well as related loss information, if any.Preferably, the computations required for risk evaluation andunderwriting are primarily carried out by business logic computer 122,in order to free up the other resources for other tasks. The processesperformed by business logic computer 122 in illustrative embodiments ofthe invention are described below in relation to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In one implementation, software operating on the application servers 102act merely as presentation and data extraction and conversion servers.All substantive business logic, including underwriting and pricingdeterminations, is carried out on the business logic computer 122. Inthis implementation, the application servers 102 obtain data from thedata storage unit 104 and the business logic computer 122 andincorporate that data into web pages (or other graphical user interfaceformats). These web pages are then communicated by the applicationservers 102 through the load balancing proxy servers 103 to userinterface module 105 for presentation. Upon receiving input from userinterface module 105, the application server 102 translates the inputinto a form suitable for processing by the business logic computer 122and for storage by the data storage unit 104. In this implementation,the application servers can be operated by third parties, who can addtheir own branding to the web pages or add other customized presentationdata. In the alternative, at least some of the business logic is alsocarried out by the application servers 102. Application servers 102 mayalso include a webserver for automatically recovering or retrievingsafety data from local computer 133.

In another implementation, the application servers 102 are softwaremodules operating on one or more computers. One of the computers onwhich the application servers 102 are operating may also serve as thebusiness logic computer 122 and/or as a load balancing proxy server 103.

In other implementations, the software operating on user interfacemodule 105 includes a thin or thick client application in addition to,or instead of web browser. The thin or thick client applicationinterfaces with a corresponding server application operating on theapplication server 102.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computing architecture suitable forimplementing various ones of the computing devices depicted in FIG. 1,including, for example, the business logic computer 122, applicationservers 102, and user interface module 105.

Computer 201 comprises at least one central processing unit (CPU) 202,at least one read-only memory (ROM) 203, at least one communication portor hub 204, at least one random access memory (RAM) 205, and one or moredatabases or data storage devices 206. All of these later elements arein communication with the CPU 202 to facilitate the operation of thecomputer 201. The computer 201 may be configured in many different ways.For example, computer 201 may be a conventional standalone computer oralternatively, the function of computer 201 may be distributed acrossmultiple computing systems and architectures.

Computer 201 may be configured in a distributed architecture, whereindatabases and processors are housed in separate units or locations. Somesuch units perform primary processing functions and contain at aminimum, a general controller or a processor 202, a ROM 203, and a RAM205. In such an embodiment, each of these units is attached to acommunications hub or port 204 that serves as a primary communicationlink with other servers 207, client or user computers 208 and otherrelated devices 209. The communications hub or port 204 may have minimalprocessing capability itself, serving primarily as a communicationsrouter. A variety of communications protocols may be part of the system,including but not limited to: Ethernet, SAP, SAS™, ATP, BLUETOOTH®, GSM,ZipBee, ANT, and TCP/IP.

The CPU 202 comprises a processor, such as one or more conventionalmicroprocessors and one or more supplementary co-processors such as mathco-processors. The CPU 202 is in communication with the communicationport 204 through which the CPU 202 communicates with other devices suchas other servers 207, user terminals 208, or devices 209. Thecommunication port 204 may include multiple communication channels forsimultaneous communication with, for example, other processors, serversor client terminals. Devices in communication with each other need notbe continually transmitting to each other. On the contrary, such devicesneed only transmit to each other as necessary, may actually refrain fromexchanging data most of the time, and may require several steps to beperformed to establish a communication link between the devices.

The CPU 202 is also in communication with the data storage device 206.The data storage device 206 comprises an appropriate combination ofmagnetic, optical and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, RAM, ROM, flash drive, an optical disc such as a compact discand/or a hard disk or drive. The CPU 202 and the data storage device 206each may be, for example, located entirely within a single computer orother computing device; or connected to each other by a communicationmedium, such as a USB port, serial port cable, a coaxial cable, aEthernet type cable, a telephone line, a radio frequency transceiver orother similar wireless or wired medium or combination of the foregoing.For example, the CPU 202 may be connected to the data storage device 206via the communication port 204.

The data storage device 206 may store, for example, (i) a program (e.g.,computer program code and/or a computer program product) adapted todirect the CPU 202 in accordance with the present invention, andparticularly in accordance with the processes described in detailhereinafter with regard to the CPU 202; (ii) databases adapted to storeinformation that are utilized to store information required by theprogram. Suitable databases include data storage unit 104 of FIG. 1.

The program may be stored, for example, in a compressed, an uncompiledand/or an encrypted format, and include computer program code. Theinstructions of the program may be read into a main memory of theprocessor from a computer-readable medium other than the data storagedevice 206, such as from a ROM 203 or from a RAM 205. While execution ofsequences of instructions in the program causes the processor 202 toperform the process steps described herein, hard-wired circuitry may beused in place of, or in combination with, software instructions forimplementation of the processes of the present invention. Thus,embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any specificcombination of hardware and software.

Suitable computer program code may be provided for performing numerousfunctions such as safety data processing and insurance policyunderwriting. The program also may include program elements such as anoperating system, a database management system and “device drivers” thatallow the processor to interface with computer peripheral devices 209(e.g., a video display, a keyboard, a computer mouse, etc.).

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat provides or participates in providing instructions to the processorof the computing device (or any other processor of a device describedherein) for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatilemedia include, for example, optical, magnetic, or opto-magnetic disks,such as memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory(DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM orEEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read-only memory), aFLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor 202 (orany other processor of a device described herein) for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be borne on a magnetic disk of aremote computer 208. The remote computer 208 can load the instructionsinto its dynamic memory and send the instructions over an Ethernetconnection, cable line, or even telephone line using a modem. Acommunications device 204 local to a computing device (or, e.g., aserver) can receive the data on the respective communications line andplace the data on a system bus for the processor. The system bus carriesthe data to main memory, from which the processor retrieves and executesthe instructions. Optionally, the instructions received by main memoryare stored in memory either before or after execution by the processor.In addition, instructions may be received via a communication port aselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals, which are exemplaryforms of wireless communications or data streams that carry varioustypes of information.

As previously discussed with reference to FIG. 1, servers may alsointeract and/or control one or more user devices 209, such as displaysand printers, or remote computers 208 such as, e.g., user interfacemodule 105. User device 209 may include any one or a combination of apersonal computer, a laptop, a personal digital assistant, a mouse, akeyboard, a computer display, a touch screen, LCD, voice recognitionsoftware, or other generally represented by input/output devicesrequired to implement the above functionality.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative employee safetymonitoring and evaluation system where customer 101 is insured byinsurance company 120. In FIG. 3, employee 302 of customer 101 islifting a heavy object 312. This system is configured to monitor thelikelihood of stress and strain injuries, which constitute a largeportion of workers' compensation claims. As a participant of a safetyevaluation system, employee 302 wears sensors 304 on his body to monitorhis body posture, movement, and other lifting behavior while liftingobject 312. Sensors 304 may be, for example, footwear with embeddedweight/force sensors that measure his weight distribution, heat sensorsto monitor overheating or overexertion, and digital cameras to capturelifting behavior information.

Characteristics of the person's lifting posture may include bodyposition; distribution of weight—left foot, right foot; distribution ofweight—toe, heel; muscle group usage. The sensors may include: weightsensors in footwear; these may yield a single reading per foot; thesemay yield a two-dimensional weight map for each foot. The sensors mayinclude weight sensors in floor mats; these may: yield a single readingper foot; yield a two-dimensional weight map for each foot; providereadings for multiple individuals simultaneously.

As employee 302 performs the task of lifting object 312, the abovedescribed sensors transmit data to computing device 306. In oneembodiment, computing device 306 is a mobile computing device, such as asmart phone, laptop, micro PC, or an embedded computing platform builtinto the sensor platform. Data is transferred between sensors 304 andcomputing device 306 via any kind of wireless communication system, suchas a BLUETOOTH® or WiFi network. Computing device 306 collects,aggregates, and stores the transmitted data. Computing device 306 alsoperforms calculations and analyses on the transmitted data, such asnoise filtering and mathematical operations to synthesize moremeaningful data.

In addition to data derived from sensors, static data is also availableand stored in database 308. Static data includes data such as the name,medical history, job characteristics, and other personal facts regardingemployee 302. Static data also includes the weight, attachment points,and dimensions of object 312. This type of data is used by computingdevice 306 in conjunction with sensor data to evaluate the safety ofemployee actions. For example, it could be considered unsafe for anemployee weighing 110 lbs. and in poor physical shape to lift a 50 lbs.object, while a different employee weighing 150 lbs. and in good shapecould do the same task safely. Static data stored in database 308optionally includes industry safety standards set by NIOSH and OSHA.These industry standards are used in some implementations as a benchmarkfor safety evaluation. In some embodiments, the safety evaluationresults in a lifting safety indicator that insurance company 120 uses inaltering the policy terms.

Computing device 306 provides employee 302 with immediate feedback abouthis lifting behavior through a stimulus. For example, a light may blinkwhenever employee 302 adopts unsafe lifting behavior. Alternatively, avibrating apparatus worn by employee 302 or an audio stimulus isactivated to relay the same message. In one implementation, feedbackstimuli is activated by computing device 306 only when employee actionspass a certain quantitative threshold. To obtain a safety evaluationscore to compare to the threshold, computing device 306 applies aquantitative algorithm to the received data.

In addition to computing device 306, which may be a handheld mobiledevice and insufficient for all the computing and storage needs of theevaluation system, there may be a local server 310 connected tocomputing device 306. Local server 310 communicates directly withdatabase 308 and sensors 304. Data may be transferred between localserver 310 and the other elements of the system via a USB, wired LAN,WiFi, or cellular connection. The network connection is preferentiallysecure so that personal data such as employee medical history isprotected. Local server 310 performs local processing such as collectingraw sensor data over time and aggregating information for analysisacross all users of the safety evaluation system. Local server 310 canbe located onsite at customer 101 or be a product or service offered bya third party.

In one implementation, local server 310 generates periodic safetyreports on all the employees 302 for management of customer 101.Management can then use these reports to provide feedback to employees302 to promote safer behavior. These reports may also be used bymanagement to create policies that promote safe behavior. For example,the fraction of safe to unsafe lifts performed by an employee 302 orother lifting safety indicators can be included in the report, andmanagement may award employee 302 a year-end bonus or other benefit orrecognition based on this indicator.

In some embodiments, local server 310, computing device 306, database308, and sensors 304 also transmit data directly to insurance company120. Data transmission between these elements and insurance company 120may occur in a variety of ways, such as via secure email, HTTPSprotocol, and XML messages over a SOAP protocol. Insurance company 120may use this data for safety and premium analysis.

Safety analysis includes any safety assessment, risk evaluation, or riskimprovement services. Services offered may include loss control servicessuch as the dispatch of safety experts employed by insurance company 120to advise on dangerous scenarios at the workplace. Loss control servicesmay be provided, for example, after insurance company 120 is alerted ofunsafe circumstances at a customer workplace through reports sent fromlocal server 310. Modification of these services based on the receiveddata may include an increase or decrease in frequency of the service, achange in the cost of the service, and targeting a specific safetyconcern.

Premium analysis includes activities that potentially affect acustomer's premium, deductible amount, discounts or credits, as well aslarge scale analysis to provide input into industry or occupationexperience factors. The determination of premium and offering ofdiscounts or credits may be performed once at underwriting time,regularly on an interval, continuously, in response to an event, orretroactively, as permitted by local, state, and/or federal regulations.

The analysis and decisions made by insurance company 120 with regard topremium/service adjustments and safety evaluation may be transmittedback to customer 101. This information may be stored at local server310, or on another device at customer 101. This information may bedirectly accessible by employees 302 of customer 101 or may be relayedto employees 302 by manager 314.

Insurance company 120 may save the data and reports received fromcustomer 101, and the decisions that were made based upon them, in datastorage unit 104, which was discussed in FIG. 1, or in a separate datawarehouse. This archived data may be used for future retrospectiveanalysis, claims adjudication, and/or to support fraud investigation.

Another illustrative employee safety monitoring and evaluation system isshown in FIG. 4. Other major sources of peril in the workplace includelack of compliance with best practices for use of personal protectiveequipment and other guidelines regarding off-limits hazardous areas andpermission to use dangerous equipment. For example, it is wellunderstood that safety goggles should be used when operating certainmachinery, such as a lathe. The system shown in FIG. 4 may be used tomonitor and promote compliance with such guidelines, and appropriatelyalter insurance policy terms in response to changes in compliance.

Like in FIG. 3, customer 101 employing employees 402, is insured byinsurance company 120. Employee 402 may perform a job that requiresprotective clothing or equipment 404, such as hard hats, goggles,gloves, boots, and lifting belts. For example, employee 402 may be alathe operator. While it is in the employee's best interest to wearprotective clothing 404 and customer 101 may have policies requiringprotective clothing, employee 402 may intentionally or unintentionallyfail to comply with these policies. A safety monitoring system canpromote compliance and lead to fewer injuries at the workplace.

In the system depicted in FIG. 4, articles of personal protectiveequipment 404 are tagged with inexpensive RFID chips. The hazardousequipment 406 that employee 402 operates is equipped with sensors, suchas an RFID reader for detecting the presence of personal protectiveequipment. Examples of hazardous equipment include hand tools, powertools, machine tools, construction equipment and vehicles, andchemically toxic and physically fragile objects. A motion detector, suchas an infrared motion sensor, may also be located on or near equipment406. The motion detector may have a range of less than a few meters, sothat it senses only motion very close to it. When employee 402approaches equipment 406, the motion detector is activated, triggeringthe RFID reader. The RFID reader detects the RFID tagged personalprotective equipment 404, or lack thereof, and recognizes the employee402. Employee identity information may be stored in the RFID chip if theprotective clothing is not shared. Otherwise, a separate RFID chip maybe embedded in employee 402's ID card or in another convenient object.

In one implementation, equipment 406 is configured to stay inactiveunless RFID tagged personal protective equipment is detected. Thus,employee 402 cannot operate equipment 406 without wearing appropriatepersonal protective equipment 404. In another implementation, anemployee's presence in the vicinity of equipment 406 without personalprotective equipment 404 may trigger an alarm. For example, if anemployee activates the motion detector, but the RFID scanner does notdetect a corresponding chip, then an alarm will sound to alert theemployee that he is not wearing personal protective equipment 404. Thealarm may also be concurrently transmitted to employee 402's supervisorand medical personnel in some situations, such as when employee 402approaches chemically toxic or radioactive equipment 406 without aradiation suit.

The system can log the number of times employee 402 attempts to handleor operate equipment 406 without proper personal protective equipment404. This information can be used by insurance company 120 to evaluatethe safety of employee 402's behavior. The results of the evaluation canbe used by insurance company 120 to alter the terms of the insurancepolicy.

Although the system above is described as being implemented using RFIDtechnology, other types of technology may also be used to accomplish thesame goals. One example is digital photography and image analysis, whichcan be used to identify employee 402 and personal protective equipment404. GPS, assisted GPS, floor pressure sensors, and motion detectors areother technologies that can be utilized, alone or in combination, toimplement the above described safety monitoring and alert system. Inaddition, sensors can be combined into sensor networks and incorporatedinto the system.

Another scenario where the above described monitoring and alert systemmay be utilized is in monitoring employee 402 activity and presence inhazardous areas at a workplace. Hazardous area 408 may be the vicinityaround high voltage electrical equipment, radioactive or chemicallytoxic areas, areas with dangerous moving parts such as engine rooms, andother places with high likelihood of accidents. In general, customer 101may want to dissuade employees 402 from entering hazardous areas 408unless they have a reason to be there and are trained in any specialskills that may be necessary.

One method for monitoring activity in hazardous areas 408 is toestablish RFID tagged gates around the areas. In this manner, onlyemployees 402 granted with access may enter such areas. In some cases,it might not be desirable to institute such strict requirements aroundsome hazardous areas 408. For example, customer 101 may want to dissuadeemployees 402 from entering a moderately dangerous work zone, but doesnot want to implement a more complex system to prevent it. In this case,RFID scanners located at the work zone identify and keep track of thenumber of times employee 402 enters the zone, but do not activelyprevent it. However, by logging the number of times employee 402 entersthe zone, feedback can be given to that employee to promote saferbehavior in the future. For example, employee 402's manager may haveaccess to the logs and may notify employee 402 verbally.

Other sensors can also be used in addition to, or in place of, RFID tagsto implement the system described above. For example, GPS systems can beused to track employee locations and digital photography and photorecognition systems can be used for personnel identification.

Hazardous areas 408 may be equipped with environmental sensors thatmonitor heat, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and smoke levels. Thesesensors may be linked to alarms so that immediate feedback andevacuation can be facilitated.

Similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 3, data from sensors locatedon employees 402, personal protective equipment 404, hazardous equipment406, and hazardous areas 408 may be transmitted to a local computer 416for collection, aggregation, and processing. The data may be transmittedvia any appropriate wired or wireless, secure or open, communicationsprotocol, as discussed previously in FIG. 3. Local computer 416 mayprocess the sensor data to obtain useful information, such as imageanalysis on digital camera footage. Local computer 416 may also receiveinput from database 414, which stores static data regarding theemployees 402, personal protective equipment 404, hazardous equipment406, and hazardous areas 408, such as employee identity, employee accessrights to certain areas, employee training level for certain tasks andequipment, and safety information on hazardous equipment 406 owned bycustomer 101. Local computer 416 may be operated by customer 101 or maybe a service/product that is offered by a third party.

Based on the collected sensor data and static information from database414, local computer 416 may determine the number of times a particularemployee 402 fails to comply with safety standards, and generate an asafety evaluation of customer 101's workplace. Local computer 416 mayalso aggregate safety data across all employees and generate reports formanagement 410.

Raw data from sensors 404 and processed data from local computer 416 maybe transmitted to insurance company 120. Insurance company 120 mayperform safety analysis and premium analysis on the data, as discussedabove in connection with FIG. 3.

The analysis and decisions made by insurance company 120 with regard topremium/service adjustments and safety evaluation may be transmittedback to customer 101. This information can be stored at local computer416, or on another device at customer 101. This information may bedirectly accessible by employees 402 of customer 101 or may be relayedto employees 402 by manager 410.

Insurance company 120 may save the data and reports received fromcustomer 101, and the decisions that were made based upon them, in datastorage unit 104, which was discussed in FIG. 1, or in a separate datawarehouse. This archived data may be used for future retrospectiveanalysis, claims adjudication, and/or to support fraud investigation.

The embodiments depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate exemplaryimplementations of a safety monitoring and evaluation system. Theseimplementations can also be used in combination to concurrently monitorphysical actions performed by employees, personal protective equipmentuse, and other safety-related behaviors.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative patient monitoring andevaluation system 500, according to one embodiment of the invention.System 500 is similar to system 100 described in FIG. 1, with many ofthe elements described in system 100, except that system 500 is directedto a healthcare facility 502, such as a hospital, nursing home,assisted-living facility, long or short-term rehabilitation hospital, orother facility providing health care. The insurance company 120 in FIG.5 provides insurance to the healthcare facility 502 and/or to a patient504 receiving treatment in the healthcare facility 502. The patient 504wears sensors 123 for monitoring his or her body movements and activity.For example, the patient 504 may wear sensors 123 around his or herwaist. In some embodiments, other sensors not worn by the patient mayalso be disposed to monitor patient movements and activity. For example,video cameras or motion detectors may be mounted within the patient'sroom, or upon the patient's bed. Sensor data is collected upon thedetection of movement or activity, and may be compiled periodically toprovide a movement/activity score or level. For example, sensor data maybe compiled in a particular time interval, such as eight hours, tocompute a movement score for that time interval.

In certain embodiments, the system 500 may be used to monitor apatient's recovery or rehabilitation progress. For example, themonitored movement/activity metrics of the patient 504 can be used todetermine whether the patient 504 is recovering at a sufficient pace, orwhether additional care should be provided. For example, if patient 504suffered from a broken limb, the movement/activity metrics of thepatient 504, including movement of his entire body and/or the affectedlimb, may be used to determine if the limb is moving too much, notenough, and/or whether the patient 504 is performing prescribedrehabilitation exercises at the appropriate times. In some embodiments,the monitored movement/activity metrics of the patient 504 is comparedto an expected rehabilitation timeline or schedule. If the monitoredmetrics do not meet the timeline or schedule, additional care ortreatment may be provided to the patient 504.

In some embodiments, the system 500 includes a user terminal 508configured to allow health care staff and/or third-party monitoringpersonnel such as case workers to input prescribed motion/activityguidelines and/or rehabilitation timelines/schedules, such as theexpected recovery progress of an injury or physical therapy forrehabilitation. User terminal 508 may also be configured to allowpersonnel to monitor the movement/activity of patient 504 and whetherthe patient and/or health care staff are following the prescribed mguidelines, and/or to provide reports or summaries of themovement/activity history for patient 504. In certain embodiments,monitoring the movement/activity metrics of a patient that isparticularly weak and unable to move independently may preventasphyxiation, which may occur if the patient accidentally turns over soas to lie face-down. In this situation, the system 500 is configured tonotify health care staff via, for example, user terminal 508 ifmovement/activity is detected. In some embodiments, user terminal 508may be a nurses' station and is also communicatively coupled with otherdevices via the network 127, such as computer system 119, database 129,and/or other nurses' stations at the facility.

Since sensors 123 may be configured to monitor the movement/activity ofa particular person wearing the sensors, in some embodiments the sensors123 are equipped to detect if they are removed from the person. Bydetecting the removal of the sensors 123, the accuracy of the monitoredmovement/activity data can be determined, any anomalous activity can bedetected, and appropriate actions can be taken. For example, if sensors123 worn by an employee or an elderly individual are removed at somepoint during the day, the movement/activity data measured by the sensors123 after the removal will not reflect the actual activity or movementof the employee or the elderly person. Besides the problem associatedwith collecting inaccurate data, this can be particularly problematic,because activity that could lead to an insurance discount or to a moreaccurate diagnosis/treatment regime may not be appropriately tracked.Thus, the sensors 123 may be configured to detect its removal from therelevant person, and to notify appropriate monitoring personnel and/orto log the removal in local or remote memory.

FIGS. 6A-D depict various views of a wearable sensor 600, similar toworn sensors 123 described in FIGS. 1 and 5, according to anillustrative embodiment of the invention. Wearable sensor 600 isconfigured to detect its removal from a person wearing it. Wearablesensor 600 includes a sensor body or housing 602 attached to amechanical fastener. The mechanical fastener includes clip arm 604 andhinge 606, which attaches the clip arm 604 to the sensor body/housing602. The clip arm 604, hinge 606, and sensor body/housing 602 areconfigured to fasten the wearable sensor 600 to a belt or some otherarticle of clothing worn by a monitored individual. FIG. 6A depicts aside view of the wearable sensor 600 when the mechanical fastener is ina closed, fastened position. In the fastened position, electricalcontacts 608 form an electrical short, detectable via detectioncircuitry embedded within the sensor body/housing 602 and/or within theclip arm 604. For the sensor 600 to be removed from a monitoredindividual, it will be necessary to open the mechanical fastener. Whenthe mechanical fastener is opened, it will assume the configurationshown in FIG. 6B, where the electrical contacts 608 no longer form anelectrical short, and instead form an electrical open circuit. Thedetection circuit detects this open circuit, and can take appropriateaction, such as warning the monitored individual, logging the time atwhich the break in the circuit occurred, and/or notifying monitoringpersonnel that a circuit break has occurred. FIGS. 6C-D show back viewsof the wearable sensor 600, showing the sensor body/housing 602, theclip arm 604, the hinge 606, and the electrical contacts 608.

In some embodiments, the electrical contacts 608 may be located withinthe hinge 606, or elsewhere between the clip arm 604 and the sensor body602, as long as it is able to detect a change in the position of theclip arm 604 and the sensor body 602 indicative of a release of thefastening mechanism. In certain embodiments, other contact detectionand/or mechanical methods may be used, in addition to or in place of thebody/hinge/arm fastener and electrical contacts 608. For example,physical connectors such as bands, tapes, or strips may be used tofasten the wearable sensor 600 to an individual. These physicalconnectors can be configured to detect ruptures in the connectors, forexample via embedded conductive wires. Optionally, magnetic sensors maybe used to detect if sensor 700 is removed, for example by detectingchanges in magnetic field.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of exemplary steps in a method for evaluating andimproving workplace safety. The method begins with collecting data fromsensors located at the workplace of an insured customer (step 701). Thesensor data is related to employee safety. As previously described,sensors at the workplace measure environmental factors such astemperature, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, smoke, pressure, andanother factors that may affect the safety of the workplace. Sensors mayalso be worn by employees to collect information on employee actions.Such sensors may include pressure sensors embedded in shoes, and measurelifting behavior and weight distribution of the wearer while he performscertain acts on the job, such as lifting heavy objects. Employee actionssuch as running, throwing, reaching, falling, and material handling canalso be measured. Other types of sensors include digital cameras,weight/forces pads on the ground, infrared motion sensors, and RFIDtransponders on equipment, protective clothing, and employeeidentification cards. Systems in which these sensors are used aredescribed above in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4.

The sensor data may be collected by mobile computing devices, such aslaptops, smart phones, and PDAs, and data may be transmitted via awireless communication protocol, such as BLUETOOTH® or WiFi. Sensor datamay also be collected on a local computer or server.

In addition to sensor data, static data is collected at step 705. Staticdata may include personal information on employees, such as theirmedical history, level of physical fitness, job description, level ofrestricted access, and their current safety evaluation. Static data mayalso include data on objects and equipment at the workplace, such as theergonomics (size, shape, dimensions, weight) of objects that are handledby employees, operation procedures of certain equipment, and the degreeof hazard of certain work zones. In general, static data encompasses anyrelevant data that is not being collected in real time from sensors,including industry standards from NIOSH and OSHA. Static data may bestored at a local server.

In addition to or instead of collecting data from sensors and localstatic data servers, data may also be purchased or obtained from a thirdparty (step 703). The purchased data may be used to supplement thesensor data or may be used to validate or debug the system. Thepurchased data may include sensor data as well as static data.

Whether the safety data is derived from sensors, a static database, orfrom a third party, it is analyzed, processed, and aggregated at step707. Data may be aggregated over all the employees or it may beaggregated over a particular time interval. In some embodiments, theaggregated data are generated into reports, which can then be providedto interested parties (see step 711 below).

Data processing includes applying algorithms to the collected data,which may be in its raw form, to obtain values of interest. For example,raw sensor data may be noise filtered.

In some embodiments, the raw sensor data, processed data, and staticdata are combined at this step and analyzed to obtain a safetyevaluation of the workplace. The evaluation may be a score or aqualitative description. The evaluation may be compared to NIOSH andOSHA safety standards to obtain a pass/fail or a good/badcharacterization.

Using the safety evaluation, the insured company may institute policiesto promote safe practices at step 709. For example, the insured companymay offer bonuses to employees who obtain a good safety evaluation orwho are willing to participate in the evaluation program. The insuredcompany may also hold training programs to teach remedial safetypractices, such as proper lifting techniques, to those determined by theevaluation system to exhibit unsafe practices. Other policies institutedby the insured company include employer recognition programs thatpublicly recognize employees identified by the system as safe employees,and stricter suspension or other punitive policies for employees who donot comply with the safety rules as determined by the system.

In response to insured company instituting the above mentioned policies,or other policies designed to promote a safe working environment, theinsurance company can favorably alter the terms of the insurance policy,such as decreasing the premium or deductible.

At step 711, safety evaluations, in the form of reports for the entirecompany, individual customer facilities, employee teams, or individualemployees may be provided to the company or individual as feedback. Forexample, a manager may receive a report indicating that a particularemployee was not compliant with safety rules a certain percentage oftime. The manager may relay that information to the employee verbally. Amore direct form of feedback would be when the system automaticallyalerts an employee of an unsafe act via a real-time physical stimulus,such as a buzzer. Either way, the employee receives feedback about hisactions and can correct them in the future.

At step 713, the insured company notifies the insurance company aboutthe policies that they have instituted to promote safe behavior. Basedon this alone, and without receiving the actual data, insurance companymay grant discounts to the insured company at step 717.

Alternatively, the insured company may transmit the actual data to theinsurance company at step 715. In this case, the insurance company mayperform its own safety evaluation of the data and grant discounts basedon the evaluation outcomes at step 719. The insurance company or theinsured company may also hire a third party service to perform theevaluation.

In deciding to alter the terms of the insurance policy, the insurancecompany, or the third party evaluator, may compare the safetyperformance, as determined from the sensor data, of the insured companyto an industry baseline. If the safety performance of the insuredcompany is better than the industry baseline, the insurance company thenalters the terms of the policy favorably.

In another scenario, the safety performance of the insured company iscompared to its previous performance. For example, if the safetyperformance of the company improves over its past performance, then theinsurance company may award discounts in the premium.

This safety evaluation and feedback system may operate continuously orat certain intervals. The process may repeat itself and lead to newadjustments in insurance policy terms and new feedback may be providedto the employees and the company. A sensor enhanced evaluation system isadvantageous because it allows safety improvements at the insuredcompany to be reflected in the policy on a more immediate time basis.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a process 800 for providingrecommendations and/or insurance adjustments based on collected sensordata, according to one embodiment of the invention. Process 800 may beused in healthcare environments as described in FIG. 5, and/or inworkplace environments as described in FIG. 1, to monitor injuredemployees that are recovering.

In step 802, movement/activity data is collected from sensors worn onthe body of an employee, worker, or patient, such as sensors 123 (FIGS.1, 5). In some embodiments, the data are collected and/or analyzed by anactivity evaluation module, similar to the safety evaluation modulediscussed above in relation to FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the activityevaluation module collects raw data directly from the sensors 123.Optionally, the raw data from the sensors 123 is preprocessed beforebeing provided to the activity evaluation module, either by the sensors123 themselves or another preprocessing device. The movement/activitydata may include data indicative of horizontal and/or vertical bodyposition, turning and/or twisting of the body, or sitting/standingpostures.

In step 804, the collected sensor data is then filtered to removeunwanted noise, for example via a low-pass filter, and then stored inpersistent data storage such as database 129 or data storage 104 (FIGS.1, 5). Activity metrics or other parameters indicative of movement andactivity, such as body movement, body orientation, frequency ofmovement, duration of movement, movement distance, and caloriesexpended, may then be calculated and used to provide an activity orrecovery evaluation in step 806. For example, body movement andorientation over time can be determined with data collected from one ormore 3-axis accelerometers. In some embodiments, sensor data may becoupled with user demographic information such as height, age, weight,and/or stride length to estimate a user's activity level.

In one embodiment, the body position/orientation of a user such as anemployee or a patient may be determined by calculating the angle of thebody on three axes—X, Y, and Z. To calculate the body angle, the wornsensors are first calibrated based on their attachment point(s) to theuser's body. A first baseline angle is then determined with the user ina predetermined posture, such as lying down or standing up. This firstbaseline angle is then stored, and may be compared with other anglemeasurements taken over time. In one embodiment, the angle measurementsare made with one or more 3-axis accelerometers, and may be augmentedwith data from additional sensors such as gyroscopes, which measure therotation about one or more axes. For example, in an embodiment with ananalog accelerometer and a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), thefollowing calculations is used to measure user body angle:

1. Capture the output from the three channels of the accelerometer andexpress as a number from 1-1023.

2. Convert the output into voltage values for each axis:

a. VoltsRx=adcRx*Vref/1023,

b. VoltsRy=adcRy*Vref/1023,

c. VoltsRz=adcRz*Vref/1023,

where Vref is the reference voltage for the accelerometer.

3. Calculate the signed voltage value by determining the shift from zeroacceleration:

a. deltaVoltsRx=VoltsRx−VzeroG,

b. deltaVoltsRy=VoltsRy−VzeroG,

c. deltaVoltsRz=VoltsRz−VzeroG,

where VzeroG is the voltage at zero acceleration for the accelerometer.

4. Calculate the angle:

a. Axr−arc cos (Rx/R)

b. Ayr−arc cos (Ry/R)

c. Azr−arc cos (Rz/R)

Other movement/activity metrics may also be measured. For example,frequency of movement may be determined based on time series datameasured by worn accelerometers and/or sensors. If the time series datafor a particular user shows that the user experiences a series ofacceleration events over time, then the number of acceleration eventsmay be combined with measurements of time to result in amovement/activity frequency measurement. Duration of movement may bemeasured by performing a weighted average of measured movements/activityover time to differentiate between active and sedentary periods.Movement distance may be approximated from accelerometer data via thefollowing calculations:velocity final=velocity initial+acceleration*time;  1.distance=velocity final*time−0.5*acceleration*time².  2.In certain embodiments, data indicative of movement or activity belowparticular thresholds is disregarded. For example, small movements suchas fidgeting or brief movements such as stretching may not be includedin the determination of activity metrics. Estimated calorie expenditure,which may be indicative of activity level, may be determined as follows:Men: C/min=(−55.0969+0.6309×heart rate+0.1988×weight+0.2017×age)/4.184(weight is in kg);Women: C/min=(−20.4022+0.4472×heart rate+0.1263×weight+0.074×age)/4.184(weight is in kg),where heart rate may be directly measured or estimated based on age,weight, and activity level.

After the movement/activity metrics have been measured, recommendationsor insurance policy adjustments based on the metrics may be provided instep 808. For example, in a healthcare environment, monitoredmovement/activity metrics may be used to provide recommendations forloss-control purposes, such as patient intake decisions, as describedabove in relation to FIG. 5. In some embodiments, collected sensor datais used for loss control, exposure management, insurance riskevaluation, assessment, and rating, as well as underwriting and/orclaims management workflows. In one embodiment, collectedmovement/activity metrics for patients at a healthcare facility is usedto evaluate risks associated with the patients and/or the healthcarefacility, and/or is used to adjust insurance policies for patientsand/or the healthcare facility. For example, if sensor data for elderlypatients at a healthcare facility indicates that the patient movementsmeet or exceed recommended movement thresholds, such as frequency and/oramount, the healthcare facility may receive a discount on its insurance.In some embodiments, collected movement/activity metrics for employeesof an insured entity is used to evaluate risks associated with insuringthe entity, and may be used to adjust insurance policies for employeesand/or the entity. As discussed above, daily activity of workers may bedirectly related to their overall health and wellness, and thusinversely related to the risk of injury, diseases, or other medicalconditions. Thus, high monitored activity/movement levels may beindicative of good health, and insurance parameters may be adjustedaccordingly. For example, if employee sensor data indicatesmovement/activity levels characteristic of healthy individuals,insurance premiums for the employees and/or the entity may be reduced.In some embodiments, the sensor data may be compared and/or correlatedwith a stored database linking historical insurance claim data withhistorical movement/activity levels. The recommendations provided instep 808 may include feedback to the monitored individual. Theserecommendations may include suggestions for better health, such asnutrition or exercise tips. The recommendations may also includerecognition for meeting movement/activity goals, encouragement if theindividual is close to achieving a movement/activity goal, or suggestmovement if an extended sedentary period is detected.

In some embodiments, the monitored movement/activity metrics may be usedfor vendor management. For example, the monitored movement/activitymetrics of patients at a healthcare facility may be used to evaluate howwell a particular the facility/healthcare vendor adheres to prescribedguidelines, as well as how quickly patients at that facility recover. Ifa particular healthcare facility/vendor consistently meets prescribedguidelines and/or is characterized by quick recovery of its patients,more injured individuals may be referred to that facility/vendor. Incertain embodiments, the collected sensor data and movement/activitymetrics can also be stored and used to provide proof of adherence toprescribed guidelines for use if malpractice claims are brought againsta vendor and/or insurance company.

In some embodiments, the collected information is aggregated bydifferent levels. For example, collected sensor information for a groupof individuals under a group benefit/insurance policy may be aggregatedso that an insurance company can evaluate the overall risk of the group.Similarly, collected sensor information for a particular healthcarefacility/vendor, or even individual caregivers or groups of caregiversin a particular facility, may be aggregated to allow for riskevaluation, for example for evaluating risks associated with generalliability/professional liability or medical malpractice coverage. Forexample, an insurance company providing professional liability insuranceto a particular caregiver may aggregate and analyze movement/activityinformation for patients under that caregiver's supervision to evaluatethe risk associated with that caregiver. In some embodiments, thedetermination of whether a particular insurance policy is to be renewedis based on the movement/activity information.

In some embodiments, the method for evaluating and improving workplacesafety described in FIG. 7 may be modified to use sensor data collectedin step 802 to evaluate and improve workplace health, assist in thereturn-to-work recovery of injured employees, and/or assist inloss-control of health and injury claims. For example, the sensor datamay be combined with static data (step 705, FIG. 7) and/or third partydata (step 703, FIG. 7) and analyzed, processed, and/or aggregated (step707, FIG. 7) to provide activity and/or lifting evaluations. The insuredentity may institute policies to promote healthy activity based on thedata (or to improve patient movement frequency, for healthcarefacilities) (step 709, FIG. 7), and may receive discounts or otherfavorable insurance policy adjustments from insurance companiesproviding insurance to the entity

FIG. 9 shows exemplary insurance policy terms that can be adjusted inthe present system. Insurance policy 900 is characterized by terms901-917. In response to a safety or activity evaluation of an insuredentity, some of the terms 901-917 of the insurance policy are adjustedto reflect the evaluation. For example, a favorable evaluation may leadto a decrease in premium 901 and deductible amount 902. An unfavorableevaluation may lead to an increase in premium 901. The deductible credit903, loss limit 904, excess loss premium factors 905, retrospectiverating plans and factors 906, experience rating plan modifications 907,schedule rating plan credits or debits 908, dividend plan types 909,dividend plan retention factors 910, expected dividend plan payouts 911,amount of rate deviation 912, service cost expectations 913, start andend dates 914, coverage description 915, services offered 916, entity ID917, and other policy terms may be altered in a similar manner. In someembodiments, the determination of whether to renew an insurance policycovering an insured entity is based on the evaluation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An activity evaluation computer system,comprising: an electronic evaluation module configured to: collect, fromat least a first workplace sensor and a second workplace sensor,activity data corresponding to activity of a worker at a workplaceassociated with a workplace entity while the worker is performing workrelated activities associated with the workplace, the worker associatedwith but distinct from the workplace entity, each of the first workplacesensor and the second workplace sensor comprising one of a sensor on apiece of equipment, a location sensor, an RFID sensor, a physiologicalsensor, a weight sensor, a chemical sensor, a heat sensor, a pressuresensor, and a camera; analyze the collected activity data to determinean activity evaluation indicative of an activity safety level of theworker while the worker is performing the work related activitiesassociated with the workplace; output the activity evaluation; and acommunications module configured to communicate at least one of thecollected activity data and the activity evaluation to a computersystem, operated by a second entity distinct from both the workplaceentity and the worker, the second entity computer system adjustingrisk-related parameters associated with risk coverage corresponding tothe workplace entity based on the at least one of the collected activitydata and the activity evaluation.
 2. The computer system of claim 1,wherein at least one of the first workplace sensor and the secondworkplace sensor is worn by the worker, and is configured to provide anotification if the at least one of the first workplace sensor and thesecond workplace sensor is removed from the worker.
 3. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein the electronic evaluation module is furtherconfigured to disregard at least one of small movements below athreshold distance and brief movements below a threshold durationcorresponding to a movement of the worker sensed by one or both of thefirst workplace sensor and the second workplace sensor in thedetermination of the activity evaluation.
 4. The computer system ofclaim 3, wherein one of the first workplace sensor and the secondworkplace sensor comprises one of a location sensor and a camera; andwherein the movement of the worker corresponds to one or more of bodymovement of the worker, body orientation of the worker, frequency of themovement of the worker, duration of the movement of the worker, and amovement distance of the worker in the determination of the activityevaluation.
 5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising anoutput device configured to provide feedback that is based at least inpart on the activity evaluation.
 6. The computer system of claim 5,wherein the output device is configured to provide real-time feedback toat least one of the worker and the workplace entity, the feedbackcomprising at least one of a visual, an audio, and a tactile stimulus.7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the physiological sensorcomprises one of a heart rate sensor, a blood pressure sensor, and apedometer.
 8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the electronicevaluation module being configured to analyze the collected activitydata to determine the activity evaluation indicative of the activitysafety level of the worker comprises the electronic evaluation modulebeing configured to determine whether the worker has conformed withworkplace safety guidelines including determining a number of times theworker has accessed hazardous areas at the workplace.
 9. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein the worker is an employee of the workplaceentity.
 10. A computer-implemented method for evaluating activity of aworker, comprising: collecting, by an electronic evaluation module fromat least a first workplace sensor and a second workplace sensor,activity data corresponding to activity of the worker at a workplaceassociated with a workplace entity while the worker is performing workrelated activities associated with the workplace, the worker associatedwith but distinct from the workplace entity, each of the first workplacesensor and the second workplace sensor comprising one of a sensor on apiece of equipment, a location sensor, an RFID sensor, a physiologicalsensor, a weight sensor, a chemical sensor, a heat sensor, a pressuresensor, and a camera; analyzing, by the electronic evaluation module,the collected activity data to determine an activity evaluationindicative of an activity safety level of the worker while the worker isperforming the work related activities associated with the workplace;outputting, by the electronic evaluation module, the activityevaluation; and communicating, by a communications module to a secondentity computer system operated by a second entity distinct from boththe workplace entity and the worker, at least one of the collectedactivity data and the activity evaluation, the second entity computersystem adjusting risk-related parameters associated with risk coveragecorresponding to the workplace entity based on the at least one of thecollected activity data and the activity evaluation.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein at least one of thefirst workplace sensor and the second workplace sensor is worn by theworker, and provides a notification if the at least one of the firstworkplace sensor and the second workplace sensor is removed from theworker.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, whereindetermining the activity evaluation comprises disregarding at least oneof small movements below a threshold distance and brief movements belowa threshold duration corresponding to a movement of the worker sensed byone of the first workplace sensor and the second workplace sensor. 13.The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein one of the firstworkplace sensor and the second workplace sensor comprises one of alocation sensor, and a camera; and wherein the movement of the workercorresponds to one or more of body movement of the worker, bodyorientation of the worker, frequency of the movement of the worker,duration of the movement of the worker, and a movement distance of theworker in the determination of the activity evaluation.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising outputting,by an output device, feedback that is based at least in part on theactivity evaluation.
 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10,further comprising outputting, by an output device, real-time feedbackto at least one of the worker and the workplace entity, the feedbackcomprising at least one of a visual, an audio, and a tactile stimulus.16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein thephysiological sensor comprises one of a heart rate sensor, a bloodpressure sensor, and a pedometer.
 17. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 10, wherein analyzing the collected activity data to determine theactivity evaluation indicative of the activity safety level of theworker comprises determining whether the worker has conformed withworkplace safety guidelines including determining a number of times theworker has accessed hazardous areas at the workplace.
 18. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the worker is anemployee of the workplace entity, and the workplace entity is acontractor at a workplace location.